Renovation of Dokdo Sculptures at City Hall ② Station, Gimpo Airport Station, and Itaewon Station

Restoring the Original Beautiful Image of Dokdo by Brightly Coloring Greenery, Rocks, and Waves on the Old Model... Real-Time Dokdo Videos Displayed at Jamsil② Station, Anguk Station, and Gwanghwamun Station... 'Dokdo Photo Exhibition' Showcasing Dokdo's Four Seasons at Gyeongbokgung Station

In celebration of Dokdo Day, the old Dokdo sculptures have been refurbished and returned to the citizens with a bright new appearance.

Seoul Metro Corporation (President Baek Ho) announced that it has completed the restoration work on the aging Dokdo sculptures installed at three stations: City Hall② Station, Gimpo Airport Station, and Itaewon Station.

October 25 marks the day when Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire declared through Imperial Decree No. 41 on October 25, 1900, that Dokdo was under the jurisdiction of the Korean Empire. To commemorate this, October 25 has been designated as Dokdo Day since 2000.

Through this restoration project, the corporation vividly recreated the original beautiful image of Dokdo by applying bright colors to the aging Dokdo models installed at City Hall② Station, Gimpo Airport Station, and Itaewon Station.

The restoration work strengthened the representation of greenery on the Dokdo sculptures and thoroughly removed moldy areas.

Additionally, the discolored rock colors were repainted with clean colors, and even the pebbles in the low-lying areas were meticulously detailed. The color of the seawater and the appearance of crashing waves were also recreated. To emphasize Dokdo’s vivid appearance further, LED lighting was improved, and the island names, informational signs, and directional markers on Dokdo were replaced.

The corporation carried out remodeling work on aging Dokdo sculptures located at six Seoul subway stations (City Hall② Station, Gimpo Airport Station, Itaewon Station, Jamsil② Station, Anguk Station, and Gwanghwamun Station). Since these sculptures had been installed for over 15 years, significant aging had occurred, and the work was also aimed at ensuring passenger walking safety in advance.

To improve station congestion, since 2023, the corporation has been removing and relocating obstacles such as benches and kiosks that interfere with passenger flow. Starting in May this year, during the process of investigating additional obstacles, it was found that the aging Dokdo sculptures left unattended were hindering passenger walking safety. As a result, the sculptures at Jamsil② Station, Anguk Station, and Gwanghwamun Station were decided to be removed, while restoration work began on the sculptures at City Hall② Station, Gimpo Airport Station, and Itaewon Station.

Considering the current aging of the sculptures and passenger safety, real-time Dokdo videos have been displayed on 85-inch wall-mounted TVs at the three stations where the sculptures were removed (Jamsil② Station, Anguk Station, and Gwanghwamun Station) since August 30. Citizens using these stations can enjoy vivid real-time views of Dokdo’s four seasons broadcasted from the ‘Dokdo Integrated Information System (dokdo.re.kr)’ in their daily lives.

The corporation is holding a ‘Dokdo Photo Exhibition’ at Gyeongbokgung Station from October 4, marking Dokdo Day, featuring the four seasons of Dokdo. The exhibition showcases 36 photos capturing Dokdo’s beautiful seasons, including the sunrise at the East Islet’s Face Rock, black-tailed gulls returning to Dokdo, Dokdo’s sunset, and the snowy scenery of Independence Gate Rock. The Dokdo Photo Exhibition runs until October 31.

Baek Ho, President of Seoul Metro Corporation, said, “In time for Dokdo Day, the old Dokdo models have been refurbished and returned to the citizens. I hope that the Dokdo models and real-time videos encountered in the subway will serve as an opportunity to reaffirm the significance of Dokdo.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.